After 15 years as an Anglican priest, including six years as the rector of Trinity Church in Rock Island, the Rev. Thomas Janikowski is converting to Russian Orthodoxy.By the time he and his wife, Shelly, get back from a New York trip, he will be an ordained deacon and priest in the Russian Orthodox church’s Western Rite Communities.
He will celebrate the Liturgy of St. Gregory the Great on Sunday as a fully ordained priest of the St. Athanasius parish at 228 W. 15th St., Davenport. Sunday Matins will be sung at 8:15 a.m. with a Divine Liturgy at 9 followed by food and fellowship.
The church — once a tattoo parlor named “Joe’s Garage” — is … [Read more...]

by Fr. Geoff Harvey
Finding the Orthodox Faith
I knew we needed to join the Church. I’d learned from Peter Toon that Christ’s Church exists as a physical reality on this earth. I knew Christ had said the gates of hell would never prevail against it, so I knew that it existed. And I had learned from Michael Harper that the Anglican Communion was simply no longer the Church.
As a Westerner, Roman Catholicism was the obvious choice. However, my dear mother said to me, when I explained my struggles, that she would support any decision I made, as long as I didn’t become a Roman Catholic! To be honest, I was shocked at her attitude, and put it … [Read more...]

by Fr. Geoff Harvey
Fr. Geoff's story is a 7 part series which will be published daily, and shows a living history of the last 50 years while he traces the footsteps of his path to God's Holy Church.
Ever since I can remember, I have had an awareness of God, even if He has not always been at the centre of my life. He was always in the air I breathed. But although I’ve always attended church services, it took me a while to discover God’s Church.
I was a post Second World War baby boomer, born into the waning days of the British Empire and, as with many military families, we moved frequently. Cities and streets changed, houses changed, … [Read more...]

by Cliff and Sara Hargrave
I am 51 years old and my wife is 48. We have been married 29 years and have two grown daughters and two grandsons. On Christmas Eve 2017, my wife and I were Chrismated into the Orthodox Church.
My journey began as a “cradle” Southern Baptist. I grew up in the local First Baptist Church, attending Sunday school, vacation bible school, and Royal Ambassadors. I walked the aisle at age 7. Then in my junior high years, something happened. The church got rid of the pastor my parents liked. From that moment on, they never went back. My siblings were older than me and had the busy lives of teenagers and for a while I was … [Read more...]